why Work With creative editing services?

I am not a faceless brand, and you are not a product. You are a writer with great ideas and goals. You have a story that needs to be told, and I recognize that. The yearning you feel to become a published author is palpable; however, there are internal and external factors that keep you from starting, finishing, or publishing your story (time, perspective, resources, industry know-how, confidence, etc.). I understand that, which is why I want to work with you.

I love getting my hands dirty, delving into a new story, discovering what makes it work, figuring out how to take it to the next level, and giving you a clear road map for taking something beautiful and precious, your manuscript, and readying it for the world to read and to appreciate.

About Amy Delcambre, owner, editor

My name is Amy Delcambre. I’m a writer and editor with over a decade of professional writing and editing experience. I started in technical grant writing and editing before moving on to print journalism, content marketing, travel writing, creative nonfiction, and memoir. I’ve had many diverse writing and editing opportunities; I’ve written content for Vertical Measures, Madden Media, Compass Media, and The Storyteller Agency. I’ve been published in The Oracle, The Elephant Journal, on Medium, and on countless blogs and websites with stories developed as a ghostwriter. I’ve also edited podcasts, several memoirs, a series of romantic fantasy novels, websites, and proposals.

Presently, I am the president of the Mobile Writer’s Guild in Mobile, AL where I reside. I have a BA in English from the University of South Alabama (USA), a Master’s in English creative writing from USA, and a Master’s in Professional Studies: Publishing from the George Washington University.

My passion is for memoir; though, I work with other genres (particularly contemporary fiction, psychological thrillers, and other forms of creative nonfiction). I also love using my skills, training, and experience to help writers produce, market, and promote their work.

ABOUT CREATIVE EDITING SERVICES

Creative Editing Services was born in 2017 to provide a structure for my editorial focus and ventures and to serve as a platform for helping to coach new editors into the profession. While I love living in Mobile with our long, lazy summers, seasonally warm weather, aquatic playgrounds, and richly seasoned cuisine, there are some limitations. One of which is that, despite what my five-year-old believes, we are not New York City.

Between the tyranny of cost and other life choices (such as to get married and to have children), moving to New York to go to Columbia or NYU to pursue editing never presented as a viable option, so I went about it another way. While working as a grant writer, I studied the art of editing. I honed my skills as a copyeditor and read about other forms of editing.

I joined the Editorial Freelancers Association and the American Copy Editors Society and trained as a developmental editor with Jennifer Lawler; I took diversity training with Lourdes Verdnard. I took fiction editing, diversity training from Lourdes and book planning from Heidi Felder.

All of these educational experiences as well as those I’ve gained from working with clients enable me to guarantee that you will get nothing but the best from me. I am a perfectionist who believes you work deserves to be held to the same exemplary standards I hold for myself and for works that I laud. Your joy and your success and things I take immense pride in supporting and helping you see through.

Amy by the #s

  • BA in English literature, the University of South Alabama

  • MA in English creative writing, University of South Alabama; thesis director southern mystery and Harlequin intrigue series novelist Carolyn Haines

  • MPS in Publishing from the George Washington University

  • Additional & ongoing training with:

    • Jennie Nash, Inside the Outline (September 2021)

    • Jane Friedman, Effective Book Marketing (August 2021)

    • Roz Morris, Advanced Self-Editing (July 2021)

    • Tiffany Yates Martin, Mastering POV (March 2021)

    • Allison Williams, Writing Memoir without Fear (March 2021)

    • Allison Williams, Structure (October 2020)

    • Lourdes Vernard (EFA), Fiction Editing (October 2017)

    • Lourdes Vernard (EFA), Diversity Reading Workshop (2018)

    • Heidi Felder in book planning (2017)

    • Jennifer Lawler Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced developmental editing (2017)

    • Jane Friedman in memoir writing, advanced editing

    • Plot writing intensive with Lynne Barrett (May 2009), University of Miami

  • Member of:

    • Author’s Guild

    • Editorial Freelancers Association

    • American Copy Editors Society

    • Alabama Writer’s Consortium

    • Mobile Writer’s Guild (President)

  • 3 travel guides (two for the City of Mobile; one for the City of Gulf Shores / Orange Beach)

  • A decade in content marketing, which has yielded: hundreds of content marketing blogs and articles; social media management for clients; content calendars for multiple clients

  • Five years as an academic grants editor and writer for the University of South Alabama

Amy on a personal note

I’m so glad to meet you. I’m a widow and a bereaved mother with three daughters. In one of my earliest creative writing classes, having grown up with what I believed was a normal, uneventful life, I wished my life was more interesting. I still remember that moment, and while I know it didn’t lead me to lose my son at 33 weeks nor did it cause my husband to die only a few short years later, I can say with confidence my life has actually been very interesting.

I am a yogi, a self-healer, a recovering perfectionist, a "dazzling” home chef (all the children want are chicken nuggets), and an avid reader (let’s hope so, right?). I love to laugh and adore wit, humor, and satire.

I know this is short, but I just want you to get to know me as a person, not just a writer or an editor, so you might feel more comfortable sharing your truths and your stories with me. I know that writing is a very vulnerable experience, and I use my experiences as a woman and a writer to create a safe and compassionate space for you to perfect your manuscript. I look forward to meeting you and to reading your words.